Exciting news! Last Friday my crowd funding campaign for Sexy Capitalism officially finished and I have successfully funded my book. I managed to make the £2,500 target with 9 days to spare and since then have tipped over £2,600.
A few people have been asking what’s next, so I thought I’d write it down.
The first task now is to properly prepare a submission to send to publishers. These sorts of submissions generally include a summary of the book, a chapter summary and importantly 2-3 draft chapters. I’ve been working on a summary for a while now, so have that ready to go. So the key things are the chapter summary and the first two chapters.
The chapter summary is now pretty much in my head, I just need to write it down. In my head the book will be split into three parts. The first will be a history section, looking at the origins of much of our sexual oppression and the rise of global capitalism. Part two will then be the main chunk of the book, examining how these relations play out today. I will look at some of the key components of modern capitalism — private property, labour/work, the profit motive, the focus on the individual etc. and connect these to sexual oppression and expression. And then finally I will look at challenges and solutions. I will examine some of the key movements of the last 40 years, how these connect to capitalism, and what we need to do to make these connections stronger. So the chapter summary is on its way.
The big chunk of work therefore is the first chapters. I’ve decided I’ll start from the beginning (most publishers will accept any chapters) and so am working on chapters one and two. These, as I said, will be some of the history chapters. Well, not quite. Chapter one is going to be an snap shot of sex and familial relations as they look today. In this chapter I’m going to look at the standard narrative of human sexuality and then what I am calling the sex paradox — the world in which sex is both oppressed and has been liberated at the same time. The aim here is to describe, not to explain. I want to cover the major areas of oppression and liberation that I will then aim to explain through the rest of the book.
In chapter two I’m going to start this explanation. In doing so I will dive back 10,000 years to look at early human sexuality and family structures — the structures that were largely equal, polyamorous and sexually free. I am to describe these structures, look at why they existed, and then examine what happened to overturn them. This is similar to stuff from the Sex and Society series I wrote earlier this year.
That is the major next step — to get chapters one and two not only done but properly edited so they are at a presentable stage for a publisher. This will take a bit of work, and is involving a whole lot of reading at the moment as well.
What about the money? A few people have asked about this as well — how will I manage the fundraising. Today what I am going to do is divide it and set it up like a wage. I will pay myself a certain amount an hour (not sure exactly of the amount but will be close to minimum wage) and will only be able to spend the money when I’ve done that. This will probably involve some sort of spreadsheet, so that will be exciting. I will then cordon off the money so I can’t spend until I’ve worked. This, I think, will ensure I actually work on the book rather than wasting my time.
And one more thing — I am also back to working on Forgiveness as well. I took a bit of a hiatus, mostly because I’ve been too busy. But the need to get some work to my writing group last week gave me the energy I needed back. I am now working on a new section, which feels good as well. I had been stuck in the first third of the book for a while now, so it was definitely a relief to move on.
So lots going on! Thanks again to all those who donated and supported. It is really appreciated. To the writing!